On 23 October 2018, a lecture entitled "How to Become an International Lawyer" was held in room 305 of the Mingfa Building. Huang Qun, head of the Chinese-funded Enterprise Service Department of Taylor Wessing, vice-chairman of German-Chinese Economic Federation in Frankfurt and member of the German-Chinese Association of Legal Workers was the guest speaker. Professor Zheng Yongliu hosted this lecture.
At the beginning of the lecture, Mr. Huang Qun noted that it is easy to become an international lawyer but it is difficult to become a qualified international lawyer.
Combining with his personal experience, he introduced six necessary qualities that an international lawyer should have. (1) Ability to understand and analyse matters; (2) Ability to design feasible solutions and strategies for clients; (3) Ability to understand the lawyer’s role in the overall process; (4) Good moral sense; (5) Good psychological quality; (6) Language proficiency and cross-cultural communication competency.
Mr. Huang Qun emphasised the significance of having a strong of business and economics knowledge which includes (1) understanding the typical operation mode and industry characteristics of an enterprise; (2) identifying potential legal risks of an enterprise; (3) reading the annual report of a company and understanding basic methods of enterprise valuation.
In the fourth part of the lecture, our guest speaker introduced a concept called “USP”, which means “Unique Selling Proposition”. He suggested that a qualified international lawyer is should create unique advantages in a certain field and should always pay close attention to the change of society, industry because the law is constantly changing.
As for building relationships at work, Mr. Huang Qun advised students to be sincere and honest to get along with clients and show a cooperative attitude toward competitors. However, learning how to protect our own rights and interests is also essential.
At the end of the lecture, Mr. Huang talked about the different position levels in an international law firm and illustrated the different capabilities required at each level, which is helpful for students planning their career pathway. He also emphasised the spirit of detemination and encouraged students to keep trying during difficulties.
After the lecture, Mr. Huang enthusiastically answered the questions raised by classmates and took a group photo with them.
Writting: Yue Wanzhen (CESL 2018 double master sutdent)
